Safe Spot
by Goddess of Destiny
Summary: AU Oneshot: Rogue was experimented on as a child by the people Gambit worked for. When she gets used as the weapon she was designed to be, how will Gambit comfort her in the aftermath? Angst. Fluff. Romy


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gambit nor Rogue. They are products of Marvel comics

**Author's Note: **So this is just a short thing that popped into my head. I don't plan on expanding it into a bigger story. If somebody else wants to adopt the idea, be my guest. This honestly didn't have to be Gambit and Rogue as the characters, I'm sure I could have thought up somebody else to do the scene with... But I feel like Romy fans need some loving. Plus I'm having huge writer's block on my other two fics... Blah.

Well, enjoy! R&R please and thank you -leaves a cookie-

* * *

"Couldn't have given Gambit somet'in a bit more comfortable?" the Cajun chuckled. He bounced playfully on the rickety cot, smiling up at the woman. The woman who seemed more prison guard than host.

Her completely covered arms were crossed severely over her chest, yellow gloved hands tightening their grips at his words. She flashed angry green eyes in his direction and Remy LeBeau had to work not to frown. The last few weeks that he'd known this girl, he was used to her eyes being filled with laughter and her face slightly flushed. Now the white streaks were pulled severely behind her ears instead of flowing freely about her round face.

"Comfortable?" Rogue said icily. Her face hardened more so if it was at all possible. "You want to talk about comfortable with me, swamp rat?"

"Dere be plenty room for de both of us, I t'ink," Remy tried to play it off. Patting the mattress by him and smiling up at her. A safe smile. Not one of his usual smirks meant to entice women to his bed.

"Do you know what Ah've been through?" Rogue half shouted. There was color in her face now, but this time from anger she hardly ever shared. Not laughter she couldn't quite shed. "Locked up by the people you call boss for _months_, Gambit!"

"S'just a job," Remy muttered, corners of his mouth turning down. "Never said I liked it, now did I?"

She'd asked too. Back when everything was vague and they were both just looking for a little bit of fun. She'd been odd and intriguing, so Remy took her out. Bumped into her a few times and didn't mind dropping everything else he had just for the few moments they shared. Hadn't even bothered him when he found out she couldn't touch without absorbing people.

It'd bothered her, though. So she ran.

But she'd come back eventually and they continued their quest for fun in each other's company. But keeping their secrets. Remy didn't mind. He had few, he suspected she had many. But he didn't care.

"They experimented on me!" Rogue shrieked. "Kept me in cages. Poured me with so many powers Ah didn't know up from down. Test them all with painful simulations, radiation treatments, what have ya!"

She waved a hand in the air, like blowing it all away. Like a few experiments were nothing in the big picture. But Remy's stomach twisted all the same because he knew about them. What Essex and his cronies liked to do to the people he just monitored. Walking up and down the hallways of the 'jails' and making sure nobody escaped.

That was all his job entailed. But Remy knew that it still made him an accomplice to what happened to the people in those cages. Whether he agreed or not. Whether he liked it or not. He still helped keep them locked up before they went to the labs and drug them back after the scientists were done with them.

"Ah was thirteen!" Rogue continued, voice wavering now. There were tears shimmering in her eyes but Remy had the feeling those would never leave either. Couldn't let those emotions past her protective bubble, now could she? "And the worst part was when they were through. When they were pleased with the results o'mah body and they started in on mah mind. Trying to turn me into their perfect little weapon.

"Because even with all the pain, there was always a piece o'mah mind I could escape to. Some warm little spot Ah could hide in till the worst was over. But when they're already in your head, they follow you to that safe spot. And they burn it down! Then Ah escaped and they really did follow me back and burned everything down. Mah friends _died_!"

"Chere…"

Remy wasn't quite possibly sure what he was supposed to do. There was no right answer here. There was no fixing what had been done with her. Still he started to push up to go to her. Comfort her.

But her answer on that option was made perfectly clear as she turned and shut the door. Remy heard the distinctive click of a lock being set in place. He could still leave if he wanted to, he had the skills. But the message was clear as day. He settled back down, closing his eyes heavily.

What was he to do?

Xxx

She was withdrawn from the others, hugging her arms loosely around her middle.

Which Remy didn't blame her. The bastards had flipped the switch on her mind, turning her into that weapon they'd spent a year trying to create in their labs. And she'd killed somebody before she managed to wrest control over herself again.

Nobody blamed her. Nobody got angry or shouted for her to leave. Rogue wasn't pushed out because nobody could accept her. They all understood she couldn't control herself and that she was hurting too.

She was pushed out because nobody knew how to comfort her. And Rogue wasn't sharing either. She never shared. Her one outburst to Remy had been the closest to sharing she'd done in her entire lifetime. Probably Rogue didn't even know what she needed to be comforted.

Strangely, Remy did.

So he stepped toward her, placing his hand gently on the small of her back, standing slightly to her side. She didn't stiffen or pull away. Didn't narrow her eyes or snap at him. Rogue had no fight left in her. And while she didn't relax into the gesture, a part of her desperately wanted somebody to take notice. She was hopeful that somehow this man she hardly knew but had strange feelings for might say the words she needed to hear.

"Are dey all gone?" Remy muttered, bending his head over a little so he was whispering directly toward her ear. "All de voices in yo' head?"

"Yeah…"

Rogue's shoulders lifted, lips pressing together tightly. Being reminded of the difficult ordeal she'd just went through. But probably just as surprised that Remy would know what it'd been like for her. How it was and felt to lose that control.

He didn't, though. Was making a guess and it panned out.

"So where's dat safe spot y'go to?" Remy continued.

"It's not there."

"Den y'make a new one. Come on, tell Remy what it's like…"

"There ain't nothin', Remy," Rogue gasped, shuddering slightly. "S'all been burned and blackened. Mah head ain't got no safe spots no more."

"Fine," Remy muttered, reaching up and to close her eyelids with his fingers. "Den we use mine, Cherie."

Her full lips dipped at the corners into a soft frown, but she didn't try to open her eyes again. She even let her arms fall to her side, staying entirely relaxed.

"Dere's a green grassy hill," Remy explained. Keeping it simple but imagining that Rogue was adding her own embellishments in her head. That her mind would choose whatever elements made her relaxed and happy and peaceful. "We lay out a blanket to sit on. Eat a small picnic. Y'close yo' eyes to feel de warm sun on yo' face so y'don't notice me."

Remy smirked to himself, watching Rogue's head tilt back ever so slightly. She was into the illusion, despite his simple words. And even he could imagine it. A nice warm early summer day. A wind blowing and a few happy birds chirping. He lifted a hand and placed it on the side of Rogue's neck.

"Don't notice me doing dis," Remy finished in a hushed whisper. Before he bent down, kissing Rogue gently upon those full red lips.

He was gentle, teasing at her lips only slightly. But the moment he started to bring the pressure off, sure that her powers would kick in any moment, Rogue's arm flew around his neck. With warm insistence, she deepened the kiss. And Remy could not argue, only putting his arm around her waist to pull her closer. Feeling her warm, eager body pressing against his.

"I love y'," Remy gasped, pulling away to look at her flushed face.

"That's… that's a lot to take in…" Rogue muttered, beginning to shake.

But Remy would not let her go and instead held her closer, brushing a hand over her cheekbone. Pressing his forehead to hers, his red on black eyes staring down into her green ones intensely.

"S'just de way I feel, Chere."

A laugh broke free of Rogue's lips. The first he'd ever heard of it. Then a few seconds later tears were glistening her cheeks. But still nothing was more precious than when she fervently pressed her lips to his again, pulling him down closer to her.

"Ah love you too."


End file.
